France’s far-right party Front National party has been placed under investigation on suspicion of having given party members fake jobs as assistants at the European Parliament the party confirmed on Tuesday, reports Radio France Internationale.
Confirming a report in Le Monde newspaper, the Front National treasurer Wallerand de Saint-Just said the move brought by French prosecutors on November 30th were the “natural follow-on” from the placing under investigation of party leader Marine Le Pen in June.
The FN is accused of illegally claiming millions of euros from the European Parliament in funds earmarked for parliamentary assistants, to pay France-based staff instead.
In a statement, the party said it would prove “that it did not embezzle a penny”.
Le Pen, who has denied the charges, is one of 17 National Front lawmakers – along with her estranged father Jean-Marie Le Pen and her partner, party vice-president Louis Aliot – being investigated over salaries paid to around 40 parliamentary assistants.
Read more of this AFP report published by RFI.
Note: In the original AFP report, the placing of the party under investigation was described as bringing a "charge" against it. Along with a number of other Anglophone media, Mediapart uses the distinct French legal term "placed under investigation", which precedes charges that can be brought at the end of an investigation, and when a case is sent to trial. Under French law, a person suspected of a criminal offence can be placed under investigation by investigating magistrates if they find there is “serious or consistent” evidence against them of perpetrating a crime.